To Be a Champion
by Fallen Vanguard
Summary: There are some who believe the world would be safer without trainers, without Pokemon. There are some who believe that the world has grown stagnant, against nature. One side craves order. The other, chaos. When these views clash on the grandest stage only despair can follow. This is a tale of Champions, former and current, and how they must band together to protect what they love.
1. Arc 1: The Invitation

**Isabella**

Kalosian summers, particularly near the west coast, were famous. The weather was positively lovely throughout the entirety of the season, save the occasional thunderstorm. Many from across the region would flock to the beaches along Cyllage and Ambrette to relax, frolic, and elope to relieve their electrically charged romances.

The latter was more common than one would imagine.

It was hard to resist the pull to go and sunbathe, swim, play with your friends and your Pokemon, or again: relieve thine-self of some pent up romance. Especially on a day such as that one. The sun was a clear ball of light in the sky, with only small, wispy white clouds to block its radiance every so often. The breeze rolled off the ocean and brought its taste and scent along with it. To say it was enticing would be a slight to its allure.

Much as I loved the beach, my summer tan a testament to that statement, it was not the beach that I chose to spend that particularly wonderful day.

It was along Route 10, known to both tourists and locals as Menhir Trail, that I walked. Thankfully it was the perfect day to pay the area a solitary visit. With weather as gorgeous as it was only the most fanatical tourists would waste it walking among the old memorial stones as I did.

I brought my hand up and lightly let my fingertips graze over the side of one said memorial stone. Each was larger than I, in both height and width, and had old Kalosian engraved on their fronts. They read: "For the fallen, the innocent, the lost, we will not weep. For they are with us always, and yet lie in a better beyond."

...A rough translation, at best. Even dedicated historians struggle with old Kalosian. The language is said to predate the region itself, after all. Most of Kalos spoke either modern Kalosian, Common, or both. Old Kalosian died out centuries past.

Though the phrase in the center of the memorial stone was always the same, the words on the bottom of each stone always differed. Only natural, as those words were always the names of the fallen. Whoever was put to rest beneath the memorial stone would have their name engraved upon it. A single word, as those graves were only for Pokemon, and most Pokemon did not take surnames. Especially not in the modern era.

It did not take me too long to find the stone I sought. The grass around me rustled, no doubt the movements of the ever-vigilant Golett. Gifts from our Unovan cousins, the Golett were loaned to Kalos to serve as guardians of Menhir Trail. Kalos considered the graveyard to be one of its most sacred locations, and would not tolerate desecration of any kind.

And there never was. The Golett saw to that.

I looked down at the skirt I wore. Rather plain for my tastes, but it was black and that was my sole requirement. I flattened the hem before I knelt down carefully on the short grass, the blades tickling my knees immediately. My gaze was fixed on the stone that stood tall before me, and after a moment's pause I decided to read it out loud.

"For the fallen, the innocent, the lost, I will not weep..." Another breath, "For they are with us always, yet lie in a better beyond,"

My grey eyes scanned down to the bottom of the stone. The Pokemon's name was clear, no translation or prior knowledge required to speak it. Old Kalosian was as dead a language as ancient Sinnoan, after all, and this Pokemon died in the modern era. A stone had been erected out of respect, no doubt it cost a fortune to have it made and engraved, but as such its name had been given to it in the modern era, in the common language.

Yet as I tried to speak it, it caught onto my tongue, like a Krabby on my fingertip.

So rather than force it I merely stared at the stone in silence. If I could not pay my respects in the old way, than perhaps a moment of silence would do.

I took one last breath and closed my eyes. Before me I envisioned the Pokemon. Its white face, its kind brown eyes. They gazed into my eyes as softly as ever. The sight was calming, wonderfully so, but I knew it was but an image in my mind. Those eyes would never meet mine again.

"I figured I'd find you here, Isabella."

My eyes shot open and I immediately found myself caught between two reactions. A part of me wanted to berate the voice for disturbing my moment of silence. Thankfully, the reasonable part of my mind recognized both the voice and the fact that screaming would be an even greater slight to the ambiance.

I looked over my shoulder and saw a tall young man, dressed in blue track pants and a white undershirt. The attire certainly suited the weather...but...

"You really came here dressed like that?" I couldn't help but scoff, "Mon dieu...It's a good thing the dead cannot see."

Thankfully the dark haired man just laughed quietly, and his reaction brought a small smile to my lips.

"Glad you're not as mopey as I feared you'd be," he replied before he walked up beside me. With a stretch the young man sat beside me, his brownish-red eyes meeting mine, before he winced, "Still with the contacts?"

"I like the look," I answered sharply. Perhaps I was a bit too curt, as a half a minute of silence followed my answer. It was an uncomfortable silence, so I decided to break it, "You just come here to bask in my presence, then? Or did you have something to say?"

"Well, for one, I brought you something," Calem stated evenly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white envelope. He passed it to me and I took it, my eyes immediately fixed on the envelope's seal. The crest was easily recognizable as that of Unova's House Harmonia, a House that has fallen quite far since ancient times. Unova still liked to use the Harmonia seal in honour of their history, however; so no doubt this was sent from some higher up either in the government or the Pokemon League.

I turned the envelope over and read whom it was addressed to: "Champion Isabella d'Voitre,"

"It was in your mailbox back home. Grace asked if I could pass it off to you when I saw you next," Calem explained. Intriguing, to say the least. I'd have to check it later to see what Unova wanted with me.

"Thank you, Calem," I said with a nod and held the envelope carefully. My outfit had no pockets and I had brought no bag, only my pokeball belt.

"Aside from that I just wanted to make sure you were okay, you know? Once I found out you weren't at the League I figured I'd uh...hunt you down," The young man explained with a sheepish chuckle and a scratch of his head. Both of his tells in one sentence? It seemed I was in the presence of a liar.

A rather poor one at that.

"You didn't check the League," I stated with a wry smile, "You were already in the area before you realized what day it was. Probably told Shauna you needed a bit of a break before the next round and wandered out to find me."

I was rewarded with a stunned blink and the reddening of his cheeks. Caught and exposed, Calem never really could handle both at once.

"E-eh? How did you know about-"

"Shauna?" My wry smile evolved into a grin most certainly wicked, "You two don't get to see each other as often, correct? Surely you had to elope before summers end. Rub out some stress? Some...tension?"

"All right, all right!" Calem blurted out, flustered beyond measure. I burst out in victorious laughter at his reaction while he shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, I'm here with Shauna...for exactly the reasons you think. But what does that matter?"

"Ah, it doesn't. I just wanted to watch you squirm like the good old days," I answered simply, my grin still present on my features.

"Mhm," Calem grunted as he relaxed once again, "Some things never change,"

Good. Too much change was too stressful. Perhaps I had teased Calem like this one time too many in the past to do it again, but was it really so wrong to relive the good memories?

"So, uh..." Ah, Calem's old habit. There was a certain stereotype that Kalosian men, and women, were extremely outgoing and social, if a bit self-centered. Every Kalosian is fully aware of the stereotype and most, at least myself, admit that it has its merits. It is simply the way we are raised. Large family gatherings, cross-family gatherings, very tight knit neighbourhoods. They all serve to promote our social skills from a very young age.

Then there is Calem who, despite having a childhood that included numerous instances of the above situations, remained rather shy. Proof that all people are different, regardless of habitat. Calem used to stutter and stammer before we had begun our journeys, especially towards me. Of course that may have been my own fault, but I digress.

When he got nervous, anxious, or wanted to say something but was uncertain either how to word it or how it would be perceived, he fell back into that stammer. I had hoped his courtship of the bundle of energy we call Shauna would aid his shy nature, but it could only do so much.

"Yes, Calem?" I asked, doing my best to keep patient with him. He chuckled a bit awkwardly and shuffled a bit from side to side.

"How's championhood?"

"Sorry, championhood?" I asked with amusement, "Did you just make that word up?"

"Ugh," Calem groaned, a blush returning to his cheeks yet again, "I meant what is it like, being the champion? You never do talk about it when we meet up."

"That's because it is dreadfully dull," I replied with an idle wave of my hand. I raised my other hand and tapped on my index finger, preparing to count down using my fingers. "You and I were among but twenty trainers that obtained all eight badges of Kalos last year. You and I were the first to actually make it out of Victory Road in four months. I was the first trainer to beat every member of the elite four in a year. I was the first trainer to defeat the champion in over five years."

Calem watched me count down before he looked at me with an inquisitive expression, so I hurried on to elaborate. "There are no challengers. _Zéro_. I haven't faced a single one since I obtained the title. All the work I've done as champion has been as a political figurehead. Mindless nonsense that, merely making the occasional appearance at a gathering between politicians and aristocrats."

"Sounds like you hate it," Calem replied. To that I gave a simple shrug.

"I do not hate it, per se. It's just dull more often than not..." I couldn't help but grin as I continued, "Granted the attention from the media, and the contracts I've gotten do sweeten the deal just a little bit. Not everybody gets to model for the cover of Lumiose Weekly,"

The dark haired man rolled his eyes but smirked, just a tad. Ah, see? Just like that his shyness had evaporated. It seemed it only plagued him in certain situations...good. He was probably much happier, if that was the case.

"You are rather photogenic, and it sort of follows after your mother's footsteps. Didn't Grace model for some magazine overseas?"

I nearly snorted with laughter, "My mother? No, goodness no. They did offer her a contract but she refused it. Said she didn't want to glorify a 'muddy, rough sport' like Rhyhorn racing."

Calem joined in with my laughter and gave a nod, "Yep, sounds just like her."

There was silence after our laughter died down. It really was refreshing to be reminded that, even if I had become champion, Calem was still my friend.

"Anyway, you sure you're all right? I mean, it is the anniversary," Calem paused before continuing, "Though when I say that, it almost sounds like we should be celebrating."

I thought on his question for a moment. It was indeed the ' _anniversaire_ ' of that Pokemon's passing. The first one I've ever had to suffer through. Calem was too kind; to go out of his way to make sure I was okay. It wasn't like it had been his Pokemon.

"Of course. I am...merely paying my respects," I finally spoke as I got to my feet. The day was still young. I had paid my respects and there was no sense in spending the rest of the day riddled with melancholy. With a careful toss of my hair I turned to Calem and put a hand on my hip, "Now, Calem, would you be so kind as to escort me back to the beach? Like a proper gentleman would?"

Calem blinked at me before he slowly stood up, "Uh...yeah, so long as you're-"

"I'm fine, Calem," I stated sternly. He seemed unconvinced, so I gave him the best smile I could muster, " _C'est la vie, oui_?"

Calem squinted at me with scrutiny in an effort to determine whether or not my smile was genuine. He knew me well enough to know that I would put up a front if I felt like I needed to. I didn't need to that time, but I didn't want Calem to worry over me. My problem was not his problem; (semicolon time) my pain was not his pain.

With a sigh Calem gave up trying to spot the crack in my mask, "Ah, _oui_."

He gestured for me to follow him and started to walk south, towards Cyllage City. I took a step after him and paused to look back at the memorial stone once more. My eyes were drawn to the name at the bottom of the stone.

" _Au revoir_ , Lancelot" I whispered softly, "May you rest in peace."

* * *

Pokemon Centers in Kalos came equipped with a few changing rooms. For a region that put such a heavy focus on fashion it was only natural that this was the case. Otherwise one would have to ask for a room, which was thankfully free, just to change their outfit. A waste of time for both the staff and the trainers.

Of course one could always rent a hotel, that much was true, but they were costly and they tended to be bought out by tourists and businessmen. As such trainers almost always stayed in Pokemon Center rooms or camped out. A healthy mix of the two was recommended for travelling trainers. You learned nothing from being cooped up in a room, but it was good to get some solid sleep under the roof of a Pokemon Center from time to time.

Thankfully I was in no need of a room. I waltzed into the Pokemon Center and straight to a free change room. I had left my bag with the Cyllage Pokemon Center staff, which contained a few key changes to my outfit, but the number of different outfits I owned was vast. It was thanks to the PC storage system that I could access every single outfit from any change room.

Each room came equipped with a small PC. You simply logged into your account, withdrew whichever items you needed, and stored what you didn't. It was no different than using it for battle items or Pokemon. I would be a liar if I said I had used this function less than the standard PC functions.

Before I focused on selecting the best bikini for that day I instead took a good look in the mirror. My golden blonde hair was in good condition. I still wore it long and it accentuated my tan in a way I was quite proud of. The grey contacts...I would keep them in. They were completely waterproof, thankfully, so there was no harm in that at all.

I then lifted the envelope Calem had given me up to my face. Did I read it now?

I decided that I should, and carefully opened it to pull out the letter within.

"Dear Isabella d'Voitre, 25th Kalos Champion,

Unova would be honoured if you were to attend the grand opening of the Pokemon World Tournament, or PWT, in our very own Driftveil City. The tournament will gather elite trainers, League or not, from every region across the world to battle in a series of gauntlets.

The PWT officially opens on September 23rd, approximately two months after this letter was mailed. We hope you and many others from Kalos will join us that day.

-Champion Willow Bellford, 22nd of Kalos"

The Pokemon World Tournament, hmm? It would be a very welcome break from the dull life being champion had earned me. There would be battles, there would be media coverage, and I would have the chance to show off the best Kalos had to offer in front of the entire world let alone Unova. I could bring our best fashion; I would have to. Looking anything other than my best was not an option.

Would the other champions attend as well? If they did then not only would I be able to battle again, but I could face others who could be called my equal for the first time in nearly a year. Legends like Gary "Blue" Oak of Kanto, or perhaps "Red", the one that usurped him for a day. Those Tohjo...ah, that was no longer correct. Those Kanto Champions were quite famous across the world, yet only so much was known about them. To have the opportunity to battle against them and others like them was one I could not pass up.

I couldn't help but grin. It seemed that, after I met with Shauna and Calem on the beach, I'd have to make for the League and begin to pack.

 _"Unova won't know what hit them."_

* * *

 **Welcome, one and all. FallenVanguard here.**

 **I am an author with an incredulous number of failed projects that, thankfully, have been removed from the site. Seriously, the number has got to be in the twenties at least, and that's rather embarrassing.**

 **But with every failure there was at least one lesson learned. Number One: Never take on more than you can handle.**

 **I waited a long time to start up my other project. Months. For this one I waited for some critical life things to be sorted out, so I could give it and my other story the time they deserve.**

 **That time has come.**


	2. Frosty Reunion

**Red**

Wind and snow rushed in behind me as I stepped through the familiar automated glass doors. The Pokemon Center's waiting room was, as usual, empty of all but a few trainers who sat quietly in the leather chairs by the door. Their eyes had turned up to me upon my entry, but they lingered only for a moment. Good.

I felt some movement on my left shoulder and glanced at it. A small, bright yellow furred Pokemon clung to my shoulder stubbornly and met my gaze when I looked over at it. The Pichu was stubborn, but I suppose the cold had finally gotten to her. Any longer and she likely would have asked me to withdraw her into her pokeball.

I gave the electric rodent a light tap on the head with my index finger before I approached the nurse's counter. When I turned my head from Pichu to the nurse herself I was met with a fierce frown.

"You let her stay outside of her ball again?" The nurse asked rhetorically, yet the sharp tone to her voice demanded that I give the obvious answer to her regardless. No doubt she'd refuse to serve me until I did.

"I did." I answered simply and dully. Almost every time I came down to the Pokemon Center I went through something like this with the dark haired nurse. "She prefers it."

"She is a baby," The nurse retorted with a humph as she crossed her arms, "What she prefers is not always good for her."

Yeah, I couldn't deny that. The Pichu was so zealous and excitable that it was more than once I had to stop her from attempting to provoke the wild Larvitar and Sneasel on the mountain. No doubt she was just excited to start battling.

"Anyway, I know why you're here. Hand them over," The nurse sighed and held her hands out. I snapped five pokeballs off of my belt and carefully placed them in the nurse's hands. Once she had them she turned around to the large machine behind her and placed them in small slots along it. The machine hummed to life

As I waited for the machine to finish healing my tired Pokemon I shoved my hands into my pockets and glanced around the waiting room idly. The other three trainers in the room piqued my interest the most. After all, not everyone managed to earn authorization into Mt. Silver. These trainers were considered strong enough to face the Elite Four if they had access.

One of them was an older, bearded man with dark brown hair like mine. His physique was large and muscular, it reminded me of Bruno or Brock. He even had their slight darker complexion, too. Perhaps he was of the Pewter tribe? If he was then no doubt he favoured rock and fighting types. I made sure not to stare, but the man's eyes were buried in a newspapers, so I doubted he caught me looking his way anyway.

The other one was a woman, with long red hair tied into a ponytail. She had white ear buds in her ears and her eyes were closed...in fact she looked like she was asleep. This could have been her first trek to the base of the mountain, in that case. The wild Pokemon in the area were far more aggressive and powerful than even the native Pokemon of Victory Road.

At last I turned my gaze to the third and final trainer. He had medium-short auburn hair, styled and combed well...wait...

"Red, your Pokemon are ready." The nurse's voice snatched my attention away. I turned around to face the nurse and took my pokeballs out of her hands with an appreciative nod. There wasn't much reason to linger, so I just about turned to head for the door when I felt something tug the collar of my jacket.

"You've got more mail, you know." The nurse stated. She tried to speak in an aloof tone, but she was clearly still sore about the whole Pichu thing.

Regardless I turned to face her once again and waited for the inevitable mail. The nurse reached into the pocket of her apron and withdrew a few letters from it. I took them and gave her a nod, but the glare she shot me demanded more than that simple act of gratitude.

"Thanks." I uttered under duress. The nurse smirked a bit and released the letters to me.

"You're welcome. Ah, and one more thing..." She once again dug into her pocket and pulled out something tiny and pink. I gave the object closer inspection and saw that the small, pink thing had sleeves...

"For your Pichu. If you insist on keeping her out of her ball then at least let her put this on." The nurse shoved the tiny sweater at me before I could protest. It looked like it would fit on Pichu...but where had the nurse gotten it from? Did she seriously knit the thing herself?

I looked over at Pichu, who gazed at the sweater with curious eyes. I held it up to her and she sniffed it before giving a squeak of approval.

"She likes it," I said to the nurse, who smiled at the knowledge. "Thanks, again."

"No problem. Just be careful with her." With that I turned to make my leave of the Center. There was a slight nagging in the back of my mind, like I had forgotten something, but I chose not to dwell on it.

I stepped out of the Center and immediately felt the cool outside air blow past me. Despite the light snowfall it hadn't actually gotten that cold yet. It was still summer, after all. On top of Mt. Silver it was a different story, where there was snow all year round and powerful winds never ceased to batter you. That was only near the summit though, and not near the base.

The snowfall that reached Route 28 was light and weak in comparison. There were many wild Rapidash in the area that tended to melt it quickly anyway. So I enjoyed the sight of the lightly snow coated grass before me, as I knew it would only last for a short while.

"You're slacking, Red."

A very familiar voice snapped me from my thoughts. I shot a glance to my right and was surprised to see a man around my age, with carefully styled auburn hair and a black bomber jacket. He wore a pair of tan khakis, and standing right by his side was a black furred Pokemon with yellow ring markings. His Umbreon, loyal as ever.

The expression he shot me was a mix of confidence and contempt...yeah, I knew that look, and I knew this man.

"...Blue." I stated simply. Damn, he had been the trainer I nearly identified in the Center, hadn't he?

"Did you actually not notice me inside the Center? I'm hurt." Blue said as he approached me, "I know it's been a couple of years, but surely you should still recognize me, right?"

There was a bite to his tone. It didn't surprise me. Blue and I hadn't exactly left on the best of terms, and despite his attempted calls and letters I never left the mountain to pay him a visit.

"It's been awhile, so I guess it took me a while to notice you." I replied dully. This visit wasn't exactly something I had wanted. If Blue had come all the way out here just to see me then there was no doubt that he wanted something. I had a pretty solid guess as to what it was he wanted, so I figured it was best to just get straight to the point, "What do you want?"

"What do -I- want?" Blue chuckled and took a step towards me, prompting Pichu's cheeks to spark in warning. She had never seen Blue before and tension between us probably led her to believe he was some sort of enemy, "I want a whole lot of things, Red, but none of them include being here."

"You're saying you came here on behalf of someone else, then?" I asked evenly. "That's shocking. You? Caring about what someone else wants?"

Blue snickered but said nothing for a moment. I know that comment got to him, and it wasn't entirely true either. Blue had always been rather confident, and before he left Pallet Town that particular defense mechanism of his had been nearly out of control. He had his reasons, I know he did, but that didn't excuse how he acted.

Of course, the same can only be said about me.

"Mew, talking to you is the biggest pain I've had to deal with in years." Blue grunted as he reached into the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a letter and tossed it towards me, "This is yours, too. I was going to just leave it with the nurse, but then you walked in."

I stepped forward to catch the letter and inspected it immediately. It was addressed to "Gary 'Blue' Oak".

Immediately I shot Blue a look but he just rolled his eyes in reply.

"The letter's already open. Go on, look inside."

He was right. I reached into the open slit of the envelope and withdrew a piece of a paper. On it these words were printed:

"Dear Gary Oak, 2nd Kanto Champion,

Unova would be honoured if you were to attend the grand opening of the Pokemon World Tournament, or PWT, in our very own Driftveil City. The tournament will gather elite trainers, League or not, from every region across the world to battle in a series of gauntlets.

The PWT officially opens on September 23rd, approximately two months after this letter was mailed. We hope you and many others from Kanto will join us that day.

-Champion Willow Bellford, 22nd of Unova"

It listed him as the second Kanto Champion. That must have been hard for him to swallow. Still...a tournament out in Unova? Blue still had a love for battle and no doubt had been training just as hard as I had. Why did he pass it off to me?

"The ticket is in the envelope too, so you may as well just go."

"Hold on a minute. Why are you giving this to me?" I wasn't about to let Blue of all people order me around, I wanted an answer.

Blue shrugged and closed his eyes, "It's a long story. Basically current circumstances require me to stay in Kanto with the old man and my sister. The Kanto league has just been established and we still are on the lookout for someone to take charge of the Viridian gym."

When Blue opened his eyes they met mine with a look of pure bitterness and contempt.

"Not that you'd know."

...Ah, he really was bitter, then. Bitter about how I left, or maybe even just the fact that I did leave. No doubt bitter that I refused to contact him as well. It wasn't as though I only refused contact with him. I didn't speak with Daisy, or Samuel, or even my...

"How are they?" I asked simply. Blue shot me a particularly cruel sneer.

"Really, you care now?" He retorted with a tone that almost sounded mocking, "Tch...they've moved from Pallet Town. Relocated to Cherrygrove town in Johto to avoid the press and trainers."

"Trainers?"

"Dreamers who wanted to challenge their hero and savior," Blue threw his arms out in the air, his tone and actions over-dramatic for effect, "Only to find he abandoned them and his region for some stupid, frozen mountain that nobody can even reach."

A part of me began to wonder if Blue was fishing for an apology. He wouldn't get one; I didn't even owe him one. My "abandonment" may not have been the most noble action, but he can't approach me and act all high and mighty. Like he hadn't done anything wrong.

When we liberated Kanto from Johto I had planned to leave at that. Separate the regions from each other but do not turn Kanto on Johto. We were supposed to be ending a war, not starting it anew. Yet Blue had wanted nothing more than to strike back and ravage our once-sovereign region, as penance for what their demented emperor had done to the world. To us.

I stopped Blue the only way I knew how: by beating him in battle. I took the title of "Champion" long enough to restore power to the Kanto government and throw Samuel Oak, the professor, in charge along with the president of Silph. With them in power Blue couldn't start his war of vengeance, nor could he rule Kanto as he saw fit. Like every other region Kanto's Champion was now little more than a figurehead when it came to political standing. As it should be.

That was what he was bitter about. The fact that I left on a high note and never let him attempt to swing the balance of power in his favour. Blue was not inherently a bad person, but he was a competitive one. Giving up his desire for vengeance was one thing, but no doubt his grandfather and sister managed to convince him to give them up by now. Blue was just sore that I had beaten him and retreated before he could even have a chance to repay the favour. He couldn't stand it.

"Anyway..." Blue finally spoke, clearly annoyed at my silence towards him. "I can't be wasting anymore time here. Unlike you, I actually have things to do. People to see."

I didn't let his words get to me. "All right. Good to see you again." I said as evenly as possible. Blue snickered again and turned around. He recalled his Umbreon into its ball and released a large bird Pokemon instead: his fabled Pidgeot.

Even from where I stood I could see the elaborate gold necklace the flying type wore, and the multicoloured stone embedded in its center.

"So you're going to accept this ticket, then? No complaints, no more questions?"

"Oh, I had no intention on going. I merely accepted the gift." I answered simply. To come out of my exile now would draw far too much attention, and the effort that would be required just to keep my movements secret from the media would be a bit too much.

Blue let out a barking laugh before he whirled around to face me once again.

"You're unbelievable, you know that? Full of crap too!" He spat, finally letting his anger through, "You're telling me you have no desire to meet with others from different regions whose skill can match or even exceed your own? You're telling me you've wasted all this time training on this gods forsaken mountain just to never actually battle again!?"

I winced. Battle...battle was something I still enjoyed. It may be one of the few things I genuinely did enjoy. Facing off against others who could match me at my strongest was an incredibly appealing idea, of that there was no doubt. But it was such a risk. The world was something I did not wish to face...I wasn't ready for it.

Blue may have picked up on it, and his rage subsided. Instead he regarded me with a cold gaze as he carefully mounted his Pidgeot.

"Well then, isn't this a disappointment." He stated, "Red, the Dragon of Kanto, a coward."

With that his Pidgeot spread its mighty wings and it took the sky. I watched as my former rival, my former best friend, flew off into the distance.

I brought the letter of invitation up to my eyes again and looked it over. A tournament in Unova that clearly intended to gather champions and trainers that can match them. Such a high tier competition would no doubt get a remarkable level of media coverage. Due to the information blackout that had surrounded Kanto and Johto during our rebellion, I doubted most other regions even knew what I looked like. After all, by the time the information blackout had been lifted, I had already retreated to Mt. Silver.

Still, was it a risk I was willing to take?

"Pi!" Pichu squeaked loudly into my ear. I glanced over at her and blinked as she hopped down from my shoulder and snagged the letter out of my hands with her teeth. She landed right in front of me and dropped the invite, gesturing at it excitedly.

"You think I should go?" I asked her. Pichu nodded her head eagerly and stared up at me with a hopeful look. No...it was more than that. She was worried about me, and that was why she wanted me to go.

"...Tch," I knelt down and picked the invite up before giving her head a gentle pat, "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"


	3. Highs and Lows

**Waver**

The morning had been a rather rough one. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the light I gazed over at the bedside table. The clock atop it read "10:15 AM", so I immediately knew I had overslept. My mind was refreshed from the sleep but my body was also drained and lazy, so a part of me just wanted to keep my head on the pillow and stay snug beneath the silky covers for as long as possible.

"Geez, Waver. I know my bed is comfy, but you do have to get up if you plan on watching my performance." A teasing voice called from within the nearby bathroom.

"Huh?" I grunted out with a yawn. There was silence as the source of the voice awaited an answer. "Yeah I know...I'm getting up."

Reluctantly I opened my eyes again and studied my surroundings. Considering whose bedroom it was the design was rather plain. The walls were painted a light blue, a favourite of hers, and adorned with some framed pictures of herself and her star Pokemon. A collection of heavily over-designed ribbons were concealed within a frame of their own. They were contest ribbons, each one earned from winning a master rank contest. There was one for each category.

My eyes were drawn to the floor next to the bed, and I smirked when I saw it was still littered with various articles of clothing. Not dirty laundry, but yesterday's wear. Seemed she hadn't cleaned up yet.

I reached down to grab my shorts and lazily slipped them on. A thought occurred to me as I dressed myself, "Hey, Lisia."

"Hmmm?" Was the muffled reply I got. Probably brushing her teeth.

"I kinda want to look presentable when I see your performance. Image and whatnot, you know? Can't be the Hoenn champ and walking around with bedhead and yesterday's outfit." I explained with a chuckle.

There was a gargle and a faint spitting sound as Lisia ran the tap water once again. I guess she waited until she was finished to reply.

"Well the bedhead thing you could take care of here..." She started as she made her way out of the bathroom. Her long turquoise hair was down and damp, and all that she wore was a light blue bath towel that she wrapped around her torso.

Had I not been used to the sight my jaw most definitely would have dropped. It was hard not to gawk as it was. Lisia was, simply put, beautiful.

"Buuuut I don't think I have anything _you'd_ like to wear to the contest. Granted I think you'd look adorable in some of the outfits." Lisia finished with a giggle. No doubt there would still be another half hour, at least, of her morning routine to go through before she'd be ready to go. In fact once she started carefully collecting her clothes from the floor it became clear that the only reason she came out of the bathroom was to quickly tidy up.

"I bet I would...but people would probably ask too many questions. This is _your_ day, after all, not mine." I replied with a grin as I finished dressing. My clothes were simple enough: orange t-shirt with some black shorts. I hadn't worn anything fancy on my way over. There would have been no point, the clothes had been discarded rather swiftly anyway.

"So I'll probably take a quick detour home. Maybe...meet you in the dressing room?" I asked with a quirked brow, my grin wider than it already had been. Lisia giggled and set her old clothes in a hamper.

"Tempting as that is, the answer is a definite no. My uncle's competing in this contest, remember? He'll be in the building, and he'd definitely know."

Right, and that uncle happened to be Wallace. A contest master in his own right, though he claims Lisia has already surpassed him, and more importantly the current gym leader of Sootopolis city. The man was a world class trainer and even then few knew how powerful he truly was. I had seen his best only once, outside of Sky Pillar a couple years back, and it had been a struggle to beat.

Needless to say pissing him off by having a quickie with his niece was just slightly more trouble than it was worth.

Okay, it definitely wasn't for me, but reasonably so for her.

"Oh all right," I gave a mock pout before I rose to my feet. There wasn't really much point in sticking around just to watch Lisia get ready. Honestly that would be torturous, especially since the quickie was a bust.

"Maybe you shouldn't sleep in so late next time." Lisia replied with a wink. I smirked and walked up to her, but once I reached her I hesitated for a moment.

Lisia was, by far, one of the most attractive women I've ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on, and easily the most attractive woman I've laid my hands on. However there wasn't really anything romantic between us, and we agreed on it. We got along really well, became fast friends off our first meeting, and just so happened to find each other mutually attractive. So we made an agreement and tended to cash in on it regularly.

Still, it was little things like saying goodbye that never stopped being awkward. I wanted to give her a kiss goodbye but I was worried she'd read too deeply into it at the same time. She never dropped any hints that she wanted our deal to change, but...

Eh, whatever.

I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on her mouth.

"Maybe after you win the contest, then?"

This time Lisia shot me a smirk. "Ooh, such confidence in me. You get real complimentary when you want something."

"You know me too well." Was my simple reply. Lisia carefully brushed some of her damp hair to the side and tapped her chin with a finger.

"We'll see." She said with a wink.

Seemed I had something to look forward to.

* * *

Despite being the champion of Hoenn, I still lived at home with my parents. I didn't spend all too much time at the house or in Littleroot ever since the whole meteor incident, but every so often I dropped by to have dinner with the folks and maybe spend the night. My mom, Veronica Zephyrus, appreciated it, I knew that much. Dad, Norman Zephyrus...yeah, I guess he appreciated it too.

But I wasn't surprised at his absence when I arrived at home. Mom, with her cheerful smile and her bouncy dark brown locks, was more than happy to greet me at the door. It was funny, I was the freaking _champion_ and I still managed to spend about the same amount of time at home as Dad, and he as just a gym leader.

"How long will you be here?" Mom asked curiously as she set a plate before me. As usual she quickly whipped up a meal while I had picked out a better outfit. Black pants with a black t-shirt that I planned to wear a sharp red jacket over. Nothing to steal the spotlight from Lisia; she'd kill me for that, but nice enough to say to the world "Yes, I am a champion."

"Er, not that much longer. I think the contest starts in...three hours? And it's all the way out by Lilycove." My eyes were fixed on the meal before me. Mom had fixed up a late brunch sort of deal, with bacon, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a side of maple sauced beans. It looked heavenly and smelled even better.

"Ah, all right. That's fair." Mom said as she sat down across the dinner table from me, her own plate before her. She didn't look dejected and her tone hadn't fallen, but I knew she was a bit upset that this visit was so brief.

"Yeah, but I should be freed up tomorrow? I can definitely swing by for dinner. Think Dad would be up for that?" I asked as I really started to eat the meal before me. It tasted as good as it smelled!

"Tomorrow...yes, I don't think he has anything for tomorrow evening." Mom answered after she took a bite of her food. Good, I didn't want to come by and not see Dad, because it could be weeks before we got the chance to have a meal together again. Seeing him was easy enough, but spending quality time was a bit trickier.

"Then yeah, I can come by for dinner tomorrow." I told Mom with a smile. She matched the smile and I proceeded to really chow down on the brunch.

Brunch was mostly quiet, filled with some small talk as Mom and I caught up on a few things, but it wasn't until we had finished that anything really interesting came up.

"Oh, yes, you got more mail." Mom stated as we brought our plates over to the sink. I looked over at her and she giggled, "Much of it was fan mail, as usual, but it's worth it to read it all anyway."

I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. The fan mail could range from flattering to creepy, but really I sort of opened myself up to it. Once the meteor incident was taken care of I jumped headfirst into advertising. Magazines, commercials, even cameos on a couple of television shows. As if just BEING the champion didn't make you popular enough, let alone saving the world on two separate occasions, I wanted the entire spotlight on me.

I blame Steven for that. It was hard to step into the shoes of that man. At first his fans had despised me for usurping him, and his fans were even crazier than mine!

Still, I also didn't want to be the guy who outright ignored fan mail but would praise and thank my fans whenever I made a guest appearance at an event or something. I'd skim through them at the least.

"All right. Are they on my desk?" I asked as I set my dishes into the sink. Mom nodded and I turned to make my way to the stairs, "Sweet, thanks Mom!"

At first I walked to the stairs but I broke into a dash when I remembered that I had less than three hours to get to Lilycove. I rushed up the stairs and entered my room quickly.

It was more or less exactly how I had left it, albeit with some clear signs that Mom had tidied it up. Pretty simple room, with a bed by the window, a desk in front of the dull yellow wall, and a rather large Snorlax plush that I'd gotten years ago.

Sure enough I saw a small stack of unopened envelopes on my desk.

I grabbed the stack and sat down on my bed. The first envelope was pink and had my name written in some loopy cursive. When I opened it I found the contents were equally awkward to read, so I just skimmed through it. Mostly compliments and something about appearing on her favourite soap opera, or something.

I did the same thing with the next four or five letters. Each of them was pretty similar in it's contents, nothing too serious in them but a lot of fan love all the same. I appreciated it, I really did, but I was on a bit of a timer so a simple skim through would suffice for them all.

The last envelope, however, was simple and white. It was addressed to "Champion Waver". Curious I opened the envelope and read the letter with far more attention than I had the previous ones.

"Dear Waver Zephyrus, 19th Hoenn Champion,

Unova would be honoured if you were to attend the grand opening of the Pokemon World Tournament, or PWT, in our very own Driftveil City. The tournament will gather elite trainers, League or not, from every region across the world to battle in a series of gauntlets.

The PWT officially opens on September 23rd, approximately two months after this letter was mailed. We hope you and many others from Hoenn will join us that day.

-Champion Willow Bellford, 22nd of Unova"

The Pokemon World Tournament? In Unova?

I felt a grin stretch across my face. It sounded absolutely amazing. I'd get to meet other champions and battle against the world's best. No doubt the media coverage would be pretty huge, too, so I'd be able to expand my fan base across the entire world!

Yeah, there was no way I was missing out on that. Hopefully Steven wouldn't mind covering for me until the tournament came to a close. I was sure that it wouldn't be too difficult to arrange.

I tucked the envelope into the pocket of my pants, grabbed my green backpack, and quickly made my way back down the stairs. I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack by our door and called out to Mom, "All right, I'm leaving now! I'll be back tomorrow evening! Thanks for brunch!"

Before I could hear Mom's reply I was already out the door. My excitement had _really_ caught up with me. Now I was looking forward to getting Lisia's contest over with so I could meet up with Steven. Hopefully he'd be at his house, and if not there then at Ever Grande.

I closed the door behind me and was about to reach into my backpack, but I paused when I noticed movement not too far away.

"Huh? Oh, hey Waver!"

And there she was, standing at her door. A brunette teen around my age, clad in her favourite red top and white shorts, stood just a few yards away. Her name was May Birch. My neighbour, at one point my rival, and...

"Hey there May!" I forced a smile as she walked over to me. "Been a while, eh? How've you been?"

"Pretty great, if just a little bit dull. Wally's been joining me on my research trips, though, so that's been really fun." May replied with a smile. It looked like she was genuinely happy to see me. "How about you, _champion_?"

It took a lot of effort to keep that smile up when she mentioned Wally, but once she asked me how I was doing I turned that into a grin as I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Yeah, pretty awesome, as usual. Gonna be checking out a contest by Lilycove in a few hours, and I think I'm going to be attending a big tournament in a few months. Out by Unova."

May's eyes widened a bit as she nodded along. "Oh wow, in Unova? That does sound pretty exciting."

"Yup. Might be some of the other region's champions there too, so I'll be competing with my equals." I went on. Even I could detect that gloating tone in my voice, but May just giggled at it. She must have thought it was simply for comedy.

"Well I wish you luck, not that you'll need it." She brought her hand up and tapped her chin with her index finger, "Hmm, you'll definitely have to spend at least a day with me before this tournament, then. You said it was in a few months?"

Well, now I was trapped. May was...an awkward case for me. It wasn't so much that I didn't want to be around her, more that being around her was just difficult for me. Still it would be a dick move on my part if I tried to dodge hanging out with her before I left for Unova.

"Er, yeah. September."

"Perfect! We can definitely set up at least one day, no matter how busy you are. So call me, all right?"

I only hoped my smile didn't look weak, "Yeah, for sure."

May nodded and turned to walk back towards her house. Phew, at least the whole contest in Lilycove thing got me out of an immediate hang out. I watched as she opened her door and entered her house, breathing a sigh once the door closed behind her.

...Well, there was no point in letting my mind linger on May and Wally. I reached into my backpack and pulled out what resembled a small ship anchor, but was actually an old flute.

" _All right, Latios, I'm counting on you."_ Sometimes the blue bastard was busy or lazy, and he didn't come when I called. So I had to hope he'd come when I blew into the flute.

If I was late to the contest I'd never hear the end of it from Lisia.


	4. Like a Diamond

**Hello all! You may have noticed I went on a bit of a writing spree with my past four updates (across all of my stories) and that it suddenly stopped! I wanted to take one day off, but this weekend is also Thanksgiving weekend! So I've been visiting family, and a few friends that went to schools outside my city returned so I've been spending time with them as well.**

 **So, Happy Thanksgiving!**

* * *

 **Titania**

It must have been five minutes that I stared into the small, blue Pokemon's red eyes. Not for one second of this time did it blink. Instead it stared right back into mine, searching for the same thing that I was: a connection.

Despite my focus I could barely make out the elaborate blue suit of a man who stood a few feet to my left. His arms were crossed and he observed with eyes that were likely impossible to read. I was surprised my slow pace with this whole ritual had not irked him in the slightest, or if it did, he hid it perfectly.

Still, it was best not to keep him waiting. I at least owed him that much.

So I took a deep breath. The Riolu in front of me did the same, and in unison we closed our eyes together.

"All right. Both of you focus on my voice. Shut out any other noise." The man, Riley, instructed. His tone firm and confident. He was charismatic that way, like he could tell you anything and you'd believe him without a moment's doubt. It was something I envied in him.

Nonetheless I complied. The dull, echoing sounds of the cave we were in slowly but steadily faded into nothing. One by one my natural senses slowly shut down as I let the darkness around me wash entirely over my being. Over my world.

Soon even Riley's voice was lost to me. So I had to do the rest of this on my own.

I concentrated the only sense I had left to me, my sixth sense, on the world around me. Or at least I tried. Seconds turned into minutes and nothing changed. The darkness was still darkness. I couldn't see or feel anything through the veil of black. I didn't give up, though, and instead kept pushing forward. At least for a few more minutes...

But even then, nothing changed.

I breathed a sigh and opened my eyes. The trance fell apart as all of my natural senses returned to me. "I feel like an idiot..." I muttered, unable to hide the bitterness in my tone.

"Well, at least you're able to feel that much." Riley said with a chuckle. I shot him a look that wiped the smirk clean off his face, but he still walked over to me and knelt down. We may only have been cousins, but our resemblance was very apparent. Same dark blue hair, though his was much shorter and wilder than mine, and the same steely grey eyes.

"Look, you've never had any official wave guiding training until you met me, right?" Riley asked me. I nodded, and he continued on, "And even then you completely neglected any form of practice since our first meeting. Instead you battled your way to the top of Mt. Coronet, through the Distortion World...and even after seeing that abomination of a dimension, you still have doubts about aura?"

"I _saw_ the Distortion World." I replied, adjusting my sitting position into a kneel. The rocky ground of the cave was cold and uncomfortable, but I didn't want to stand so long as Riley had knelt to my level. "I was inside of it. The place may have bent and shattered every single law of physics, but I was inside of it for long enough to know that what I saw was real. Even if it didn't make any logical sense at the time, it was...it is real."

"When it comes to aura, though...I've only seen or felt glimpses, and even then that can be explained through logical means. There's no science to aura, no solid facts. Just interpretations and intuitive knowledge," I continued. "Humans don't normally have sixth senses. It's just not logical, so everytime I focus..."

"It slips away from you before you can even grasp it." Riley cut in, a small but knowing smile on his lips. He stood up straight and I followed suit. "But you have seen proof of it. Raw proof, several times."

I quirked my brow. "And when did I see this?"

"Well, for one, when you battled my Lucario. Aura Sphere isn't like normal energy based attacks. It is pure aura, woven by the Lucario into a form they can use offensively, such as an explosive sphere." Riley explained. He then gestured towards the Riolu that still sat on the ground before me. "But if you need more proof...then you should keep her."

Wait, was he serious? I looked over at the Riolu, whose tail wagged at Riley's words. She seemed quite enthused at the prospect.

"Raise her, train her, watch her powers grow." Riley continued on with a smile, "Who knows? Maybe it'll help trigger your abilities too?"

"Maybe...if she's really willing, then-" I was cut off by the Riolu bounding over to me and hugging my leg. Her expression was so hopeful, joyous. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Then I'll be happy to take her in. Thank you."

"It's nothing. Consider her a birthday gift from your long lost cousin." Riley stated with a big smile. Long lost was a bit of a stretch, but until we had run into each other here, on the Iron Islands, back when I was doing my league challenge, it had been over ten years since we last saw each other.

"Well then, I'll have to be sure to get you something in return." I replied, Riley's contagious smile having its effect on me. Riley chuckled and waved his hand nonchalantly.

"If you insist." With that he gestured for me to follow him back towards the cave entrance. We hadn't wandered too deep into the cave lest we disturb the Steelix that lived within. We stepped out into the open and I smiled at the smell of the ocean on the air.

Outside of the caves the Iron Islands were actually quite lovely. Grassy with some tall trees scattered throughout, and even from where I stood the beach was visible. Granted the water, like most of Sinnoh's water, would probably be ice cold even though it was still summer.

"So, what were you going to do now?" Riley asked as he crossed his arms. I turned around and scooped the Riolu up in my arms with a smile.

"Well, I'll need to come up with a name for this girl." I smiled back, the Riolu purring as she snuggled into my arms. "But I also owe Professor Rowan a visit. I never did get around to sharing the data I collected about Heatran with him. After that it's back to the League with me."

Riley chuckled at the mention of Heatran and quirked his brow in amusement. "Heatran too now? I nearly forgot...how many legendaries does that make for you?"

"Nearly the entire Sinnoan pantheon, save for Arceus." I answered with a fair bit of pride. Even a legend chaser like Cynthia hasn't seen as many of our legendaries as I have. The lake guardians, the three dragons, Regigigas, the lunar duo, Shaymin, Manaphy, and Heatran. I've seen each of them at least once now.

The most memorable encounter, for me though, would always be the dragon of antimatter. Though it was not necessarily a fond memory...

"And yet you were respectful enough to not try and catch any of them." Riley stated, his voice bringing me back to reality.

"Each of them serve a key purpose in the environment they reside in," I explained to him. To remove them would no doubt anger them and damage that environment on a level that I can't possibly begin to predict. It just wouldn't be worth the risk, even if I wanted to capture them."

"You've never thought about capturing them?" Riley asked me, a hint of doubt on his features.

"Ever since the Distortion World...no, I don't think I'd ever want to catch one of them." The Distortion World incident was...just a bit too unnerving. I know that it only truly applies to Giratina, but it was enough for me to realize that no trainer was ready to be training a legendary full-time.

They were viewed as gods for a reason: they were powerful in ways far beyond mere battling. How would one manage owning Dialga, whose very breath was said to be the flow of time? Or Palkia, who crossed through dimensions like we walked through doors? How could one ever tame Darkrai and stand the nightmares that it brings. Even Manaphy has the ability to briefly swap the consciousness of two individuals, including itself and other legendaries. That ability could be disastrous in the hands of a trainer.

And with men like Cyrus among us, I doubted any trainer could be trusted with their power for years to come. Yet Unova did its best to prove me wrong, I still considered that incident the exception that proves the rule.

Riley nodded at my answer, perhaps one of the few people who really knew just how much the Distortion World affected me. I plucked a pokeball off of my belt and clicked it open, releasing Cirrus, my Togekiss. Cirrus was a rather sweet guy, very affectionate and cheerful, and almost immediately he sensed the Riolu's presence and hopped close to me, beaming at her.

"Well, tell the Professor I say hello. Johanna as well, if you stop by home." Riley said as I carefully straddled Cirrus. It was never the most comfortable method of riding him, but it would be illegal to capture Riolu in a pokeball while I had my full team on me. I'd have to immediately send her to the box until I could swap her in for one of my team members, and I wanted to at least name her first. So having Cirrus fly me by picking me up by the shoulders was not an option.

"I will, I'm sure she'll try to give you a call to join us for dinner sometime." I replied before giving Riley my best stern frown. "You'd be wise to do it this time."

Riley nearly burst out with laughter and my stern expression faded to a more default blank one. "Good try there, Titania, but you're not quite a Berlitz woman yet. Another ten years and you'll have all the intimidation you need."

I rolled my eyes and held the Riolu tightly as Cirrus slowly took to the air, but before we could ascend too high Riley called up to me. "Wait!"

"Yes?" I asked, looking down at him. He had a smile on his face.

"Have I ever told you what your aura looks like?"

I thought on the question for a bit. To my surprise he actually hadn't, at least as far as I could recall.

"No...you actually haven't."

"Probably because it's difficult to describe, yet so simple. Kind of like you," He stated with a teasing tone. I shot him a frown, or my best attempt at one, but that only made him laugh more. Damn, ever since I won the title of champion I had done my best to try and be more intimidating. Intimidation was a Berlitz speciality, though a certain professor had mastered the art as well. Perhaps because Riley was a Berlitz as well, he was simply immune to my attempts?

"Anyway. Your aura is...remarkably clear. There's almost no distinct colour to it, just a light that radiates different bright colours based on how you perceive it. Consider it like holding a diamond up into the sun." Riley explained to me, his hand on his chin now. "Bright and beautiful, but strong. Unbreakable...but also untouchable. Do try to bring yourself down to the level of us mere mortals from time to time, you know?"

* * *

Even as I arrived in Sandgem about an hour after leaving the islands, Riley's words rang through my mind. I was a mortal, wasn't I? So what did he mean by that...

As Cirrus touched down upon the ground I shook my head and gently slapped my cheek with a palm. It wouldn't do me any good to dwell on that around Rowan. The professor was the sharpest man I've ever met, and also the most direct. If someone was distracted around him he wouldn't hesitate to call them out on the fact.

I returned Cirrus to his pokeball after giving him a "good job" pat on the head, and set the Riolu down beside me. Still had to think of a good name for her, but perhaps after I spoke with Rowan.

"Professor, sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I can show you all the data my Pokedex recorded on Heat..." I stepped into the Sandgem lab and blinked. It seemed I wasn't the only one who had decided to visit Rowan that afternoon.

"Cynthia?" I asked as I approached the two. Cynthia was dressed in what had to be her favourite outfit. Black long coat with fake fur cuffs and lining around the coat's tail with black pants and black and gold heels. She looked stunning in it, as she did in just about every outfit. Her bright blonde hair and steely grey eyes, combined with her impressive height, made her the poster girl for what a pure Eastern Sinnoan looked like.

There was always an elegance and confidence to her every motion, her every step. It was...enviable. Just like Riley's voice and smile, they were traits I could only dream of emulating to that effect.

Cynthia turned those steely eyes to me and they softened with fondness. "Ah, Titania. Perfect timing actually."

Rowan turned his own eyes upon me as well. Had I not known the man for a couple of years I would no doubt have been intimidated by his gaze. By default he had a fierce expression, his mouth mostly hidden by his bushy facial hair leaving only those sharp eyes to give away what he was thinking, and they usually gave away nothing.

But the reality was that the professor was a very kind, passionate man. He was just very old-fashioned as well, and rarely showed that side of himself.

"Hm, yes." Rowan added as he gestured to Cynthia. "Cynthia had actually come here looking for you. Apparently she stopped by Johanna's in Twinleaf as well."

"Oh. Sorry, I was at the Iron Islands with my cousin." I explained, a bit confused. Cynthia often stopped by the League even now, as a champion was always welcomed there even if they had lost that title. I tended to do the same, as it was required of my station to do so, so we ran across each other rather frequently. If she had something to tell me that couldn't wait for our next natural encounter, then no doubt it had to be important.

"Nothing to apologize about, I just figured this would be something of interest to you, and the more time you had to think on it, the better." With those words Cynthia withdrew an envelope from her coat pocket and offered it to me. I took it carefully and read the front of the envelope.

It was addressed to "Champion Titania Berlitz IV".

* * *

 **I'd show the contents of the letter, buuuuut yeah, you probably know where it's going by now XD. So ends Arc 1 of this story, I suppose. All of the protagonists have their invites. Now the fun begins.**


End file.
